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I never intended to teach yoga to teens with eating disorders. Until a couple of years ago, I didn’t know much about either teenagers or eating disorders, but my limited experience had taught me that both could be challenging.

But then I volunteered as the training co-ordinator with A Sound Life, a charity that brings yoga to people in hospitals and care facilities. One of the first facilities we visited was Westmead Children’s Hospital where psychologists in the Adolescent Mental Health Unit were keen to add yoga to their program for kids with eating disorders.

Having seen recent studies that demonstrate the benefits ofyoga for people with eating disorders, the lead psychologists wanted to explore how it could be integrated into their pioneering Intensive Family and Adolescent Eating Disorder Day Program (IFAED) program.

Monkeys are great at climbing trees. Their strong, flexible bodies are perfect for racing up and down the branches where they find food, shelter and companionship. From high up in the tree-tops the monkeys look down on the elephant.

The elephant is possessed of great strength and calm. Her sensitive, flexible trunk allows her to perform tasks of amazing dexterity. She is smart, loyal and looks after the other members of her community. But she's hopeless at climbing trees.

Naturally the monkeys place a high value on tree climbing – it offers so many benefits and it feels fantastic. Everybody should do it! Some of them look down on elephant and simply ignore her – she looks all wrong and will never be any good at climbing trees.